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The Snowdown

As mentioned yesterday, today was the day we braved the cold and the mounds of snow in an attempt to find our way to Central Park for Youngna’s snowball fight.

We inadvertently arrived fifteen minutes early, and this turned out to be a fairly bad move as the wind whips ridiculously fast across the Great Lawn at times. Luckily, Jake made his presence known, and we all started plotting Youngna’s demise as the clock ticked past noon.

She arrived at 12:15, and Jake promptly dumped her headfirst into the snow. The fight was slow and rather powdery – the snow hadn’t melted any, which lends to good packing snow, so I ended up flinging showers of snow at people. The slow pace often lending to standoffs and snow wrestling.

We weren’t the only ones in the park having fun today – plenty of kids and their parents were out, sledding down Cedar Hill (despite the obviously wrong sign). There was a virtual parade of dogs – some romping, some walking normally, and some insisting on being carried by their owners. Almost all of them were in jackets, shirts, and boots. Très cute.

I’m grateful to not only have had a snowball fight on the Great Lawn with a number of photobloggers, but to have seen yet again how beautiful Central Park can be, even in the worst of conditions.

Photos from the rest of the snowballers: Jesse, Karen, Youngna on Flickr and on her site, Jake, Rion, Keith, Tien, and at long last Janelle. I swear, this is the most photographed snowball fight in history.

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The Endless Struggle Between Good And Evil

Recently, I meander back to my computer and see this in an IM window:

o0sonny0o (11:10 PM): HEY!
o0sonny0o (11:10 PM): I want to talk to you.
o0sonny0o (11:10 PM): My friend, KirbyKirbyKirby told me about you
o0sonny0o (11:10 PM): I know everyone believes about your cat being able to play IIDX, but you have to admit, its all a hoax.
o0sonny0o (11:10 PM): Its actually the most untrue thing I’ve ever heard in my whole life.

You may recall, many months ago, I posted some alleged photos of my cat playing Beatmania IIDX. They become one of those nice inside jokes in the US IIDX community.

Forgive me, friends, for I have sinned.

Dan Dickinson (11:30 PM): Uh…
Dan Dickinson (11:30 PM): Okay.
Dan Dickinson (11:30 PM): Anything else?
o0sonny0o (11:31 PM): Well, I’m just wondering.
o0sonny0o (11:31 PM): Is it true?
o0sonny0o (11:31 PM): Seriously, tell the truth.
Dan Dickinson (11:32 PM): Is it so hard to believe?
o0sonny0o (11:32 PM): Yes.
o0sonny0o (11:32 PM): Could you just tell me?
o0sonny0o (11:32 PM): like…..For me, would you be able to take video footage or your cat actually playing it? Not just 4 pictures of its face?
o0sonny0o (11:32 PM): or pictures of it actually playing it
Dan Dickinson (11:33 PM): If I had a camcorder, sure.
Dan Dickinson (11:33 PM): Unfortunately, I don’t.
o0sonny0o (11:33 PM): well, could you take pictures?
Dan Dickinson (11:33 PM): The next time he plays, sure.
o0sonny0o (11:33 PM): -_-
Dan Dickinson (11:33 PM): Right now he’s a little busy licking himself.
o0sonny0o (11:33 PM): lol
o0sonny0o (11:33 PM): How is it possible for a cat to work a turntable?
Dan Dickinson (11:33 PM): He’s got nails, he just digs them in. It’s only plastic.
o0sonny0o (11:34 PM): Hmm…
o0sonny0o (11:34 PM): But
o0sonny0o (11:34 PM): Cats are colorblind.
Dan Dickinson (11:35 PM): What difference does that make?
o0sonny0o (11:35 PM): Well, how would it know which buttons to press (since their colored) if he was colorblind?
Dan Dickinson (11:35 PM): Color blind means you don’t see color. You see greyscale. The keys are black and white.
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): oh.
Dan Dickinson (11:36 PM): The notes on the screen, I’d imagine, look white and somewhat dark.
Dan Dickinson (11:36 PM): Colorblind isn’t the same as totally blind. �Sheesh.
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): Yeah I know
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): I just thought they were colored for some reason
Dan Dickinson (11:36 PM): Do you actually play IIDX?
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): No.
Dan Dickinson (11:36 PM): Ah.
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): But I know how it works
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): Hmm…
o0sonny0o (11:36 PM): How would a cat be able to move his hands so fast?
Dan Dickinson (11:37 PM): Aren’t cats reknown for having quick reflexes?
o0sonny0o (11:37 PM): Yeah but, that must be a pretty damn smart cat.
o0sonny0o (11:37 PM): If it can match whats on the screen to the actual buttons.
Dan Dickinson (11:38 PM): We’re very proud of him.
o0sonny0o (11:38 PM): =
Dan Dickinson (11:39 PM): Any more questions?
o0sonny0o (11:39 PM): K, whatever, I still dont believe it unless I see better pictures, but no, I do not have any more questions.
Dan Dickinson (11:39 PM): Alright, well, I’ll see what I can do.
o0sonny0o (11:39 PM): Thanks for your time.
Dan Dickinson (11:39 PM): Oh no, thank you.

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Tinkle

The first time I went to Tinkle, the musical guest was The Aisler’s Set – I still have no idea who they are, but hey.

The second time I went, it was the Christmas show last year. The musical guest was Yo La Tengo. They rocked. I started listening to them.

The third time I went, it was the Kerry benefit over the summer. The musical guest was Ted Leo. He rocked hard. I started listening to him immediately.

So tonight, at Pianos, there was another Tinkle show. Again, the signs said “Surprise Musical Guest”. I sat, somewhat curious, as Todd Barry and David Cross started into their band introduction. (Jon Benjamin was sadly ill, with career-destroying diarrhea.)

And then they said, “So here’s Wilco.” My jaw dropped, as again, here’s a critically acclaimed band I’ve been meaning to give a shot, and they’re playing a dirt cheap show in an intimate setting.

It apparently didn’t sink in with some people, and when they actually saw the band getting on the stage, at least five people went “HOLY SHIT IT’S REALLY WILCO”.

And then they covered “Love Will Keep Us Together”, by The Captain & Tennille.

And to cap off the surreal evening, David insisted on handing out candy g-strings to everyone who was in attendance. Katie and I both got one.

Line of the night goes to Eugene Mirman:

Hey, where’s the nearest A train? …Who wants to know? How about Secret Agent I’m Going To Kick You So Hard In The Dick You’re Going To Come FEAR?!

Finally, Todd – since I know you’re reading this, can I buy you a drink or a meal or something some time? You guys have been rocking too much.

RELATED: BrooklynVegan has some pictures.

Jen Carlson yields a double dose, providing both pictures on Gothamist as well as on her own blog. Jen also wins extra awesome points for posting a video of the Captain and Tennille cover